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One stepdad thought he fit right in with his new family, until his stepdaughter broke some big news…
Being There On Her Big Day
A Part Of The Family
The stepdad shared his story on Reddit under the name godzilla_moon, and he wanted to know whether he was being unreasonable. After ten years of being in his stepdaughter’s life, he felt like part of the family. He was committed to his partner and to her daughter. But something happened at her wedding that changed that.
Living Together
Living Together
In fact, godzilla_moon had been living with his partner and the bride-to-be for the whole decade. He was the breadwinner in the family and always made sure that they were well looked after. When the time came for his stepdaughter to graduate high school and think about college, he offered to pay for her schooling. He found himself in $40,000 worth of debt because of this, but he didn’t bat an eyelid. He saw her as his real daughter, so it was worth it.
Spoiling Her
Spoiling Her
The stepdad didn’t stop there, though. He also let his stepdaughter live in his house with him and her mother during college, and he even bought her a car as a high school graduation present. Godzilla_moon always wanted to make sure she was happy and healthy, and this became even more important when his stepdaughter found the man that she wanted to marry. Because her biological father wasn’t around very often, godzilla_moon stepped up to the plate and offered to pay for her big day.
The “Real” Dad
The “Real” Dad
Godzilla_moon had been in his stepdaughter’s life for a long time, so he felt as though she really was his daughter. However, he noted in the Reddit post that there was another father figure who sometimes came into her life. Her biological father would not pay his daughter attention when she wanted it but would turn up out of the blue and stake his place in her life. He stated that her biological father would leave her in the lurch, breaking her heart in the process.
Leaving Her Broken Hearted
Leaving Her Broken Hearted
Despite the fact that the bride-to-be’s biological father didn’t seem to care about his fatherly duties, that didn’t stop his daughter from fawning over him. She knew that he would often let her down and disappear at a moment’s notice, but she enjoyed his place in her life too much. She was blind to his negative traits and didn’t seem to acknowledge the fact that her stepfather was more of a father than her biological dad. This angered godzilla_moon.
Not Paying His Way
Not Paying His Way
Within the Reddit thread, godzilla_moon also confirmed that the “deadbeat” dad had never paid any form of child support or offered any financial support to her mother. He also hadn’t offered to pay for the wedding, which means that the stepdad had to pay for everything. Godzilla_moon was happy to do so… until his stepdaughter made an announcement at a family dinner. The bride-to-be stated that her biological father had agreed to walk her down the aisle, and the Reddit user wasn’t happy.
All Too Much
All Too Much
This announcement was the last straw for godzilla_moon because he had reached the end of his rope. His annoyance had been bubbling up ever since he was denied the chance to invite certain members close to the family. Considering he was paying for the wedding, the stepfather didn’t think it was unreasonable for him to suggest 20 guests to be invited to his stepdaughter’s big day. The venue held 250 people, and there was more than enough room.
Not Even Named
Not Even Named
When the stepfather heard about this notice, he was extremely upset. He was using his hard-earned money to pay for her big day, but the bride-to-be wouldn’t even acknowledge his requests. Unfortunately, this wasn’t all. When godzilla_moon asked his golf friend to see the notice of his stepdaughter’s wedding, he discovered that he was not even named on it. It was as if his stepdaughter was ignoring his involvement completely, and he just couldn’t believe what was happening.
All Coming Out
All Coming Out
Instead of keeping quiet and keeping his thoughts to himself, godzilla_moon decided to bring up his grievances with his partner. As the mother of the bride, she thought she might be able to make sense of her daughter’s decisions. However, his partner sided with her own daughter. She noted that they just couldn’t accommodate his requests on the guest list, but that they might be able to squeeze them in if those invited couldn’t go. In the end, this discussion culminated in a huge fight.
Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Godzilla_moon had the verbal fight with his girlfriend on the Saturday evening, but they had to put their grievances aside for celebrations the next day. The bride and groom had organized a large family meal that would bring their two families together, and godzilla_moon crossed his fingers that her biological father would not attend the meal. Sadly, his crossed fingers just weren’t enough to keep the bride’s “real” father at bay, because he soon saw him sitting across from him at the table.
Making The Announcement
Making The Announcement
When everyone was sat down at the table, and their two families had joined together, godzilla_moon’s stepdaughter stood up from her chair and made the announcement. She was over the moon to say that her biological father would be attending the wedding, and he would be walking her down the aisle! Although the table became abuzz with excitement, there was one man who wasn’t too thrilled about the news. In fact, her stepfather was overcome with rage that he just couldn’t control.
Keeping His Cool
Keeping His Cool
Although godzilla_moon wanted to lash out and let out his anger, he knew that he had to keep his cool. He didn’t want to spoil his stepdaughter’s dinner, but he also couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself. So, he devised a plan that would show everyone around the table just what he thought on the matter. Following in the footsteps of the stepdaughter he had cared for over the past ten years, he stood up from his chair to make an announcement.
Making A Toast
Making A Toast
In fact, the stepfather wanted to make a toast. This is often customary during family get-togethers and special occasions, but this one would be a little different. However, he didn’t want to get straight to the negatives. He wanted to lull the guests into a false sense of security and stated that it had been a pleasure to spend time with his family over the past decade. More than anything, he felt that he had to thank the bride and groom for teaching him something…
Listening Intently
Listening Intently
The guests around the table were unaware that godzilla_moon was going to take his speech down a notch. From his words, they assumed that he was going to make a heartfelt declaration of love, and they were listening intently. So, what did he thank the bride and groom for? He thanked them both for making him realize that he wasn’t quite the man he thought he was. After all, he thought that he held a strong place in their family, but he soon realized that this wasn’t true.
Not Over Yet
Not Over Yet
However, the stepfather wasn’t done with his speech. He noted that he had been foolish enough to believe that he was loved and cherished within everyone’s hearts, but he soon realized that he was just a cash machine that they used for their lavish lifestyles. In fact, he confessed that he felt like a “good stream of money, but not much else.” Ultimately, he had to make a decision, and he confirmed this decision in front of everyone…
Denying His Request
Denying His Request
More than anything, godzilla_moon wanted one of his golf friends to be invited to the wedding. He was close to the bride and the groom, and he was surprised when he ran into this friend on the golf course and heard that he hadn’t been invited. Yet, he did know that the bride was getting married. That’s because he, and the rest of godzilla_moon’s suggestions, had received a piece of paper in the mail that served as a notice of their nuptials.
It’s Over
As he spoke to the room, godzilla_moon noted that he had one last thing to say. Because he had not only been removed from the notice of their nuptials, the wedding invitations, and the wedding ceremony as a whole, he decided to rescind his offer. After all, he wasn’t a part of the wedding, so why should he pay for it? He noted that this honor should go to the bride-to-be’s biological father, who was obviously a huge part of her life. In his eyes, the farce was over.
It’s Over
Not His Problem
Not His Problem
The stepfather was clear on the fact that he was no longer going to pay for the wedding, but he also wanted to make a few other stipulations quite plain. He was done with paying for his partner and her daughter’s lavish lifestyle, and so he was going to rescind his involvement completely. He wanted them both moved out of his house, and he was going to drain their joint bank account because it was all his money anyway. The bride’s “real dad” could deal with them now.
Giving Us An Update
Giving Us An Update
Godzilla_moon’s Reddit thread caused a stir, and many congratulated him for standing his ground. However, they wanted an update on his situation, and he was more than happy to oblige. In a later post, he stated that both his girlfriend and her daughter had moved out of his house, and they had made a few changes to the wedding day. Without his funds, they had to scale back the extravagant plans and lose a few special features…
Making It Known
Making It Known
Of course, godzilla_moon’s partner didn’t move out without putting up a fight. She tried to reason with her boyfriend, and she even tried to persuade him to retract his toast the morning after. To do this, she showed him a copy of the wedding plans and all of the details that would make her daughter’s day perfect. His partner noted that he would be “ruining” their hard work – but godzilla_moon wasn’t having any of it. He had made his decision, and he was sticking to it.
The Nail In The Coffin
The final nail in the coffin for godzilla_moon was actually found within these wedding plans. As he scoured through the pages and pages of details, he came across a few sections that caught his eye. Within the section that centered around the traditional father-daughter dance, he realized that his former stepdaughter had chosen songs that her biological father loved. Alongside this, she also catered the wedding menu to her father’s taste. It was as if he wasn’t even going to be a part of the wedding.
The Nail In The Coffin
The Right Move
The Right Move
Although it was sad to see the people he thought were his family move out of his house, he also couldn’t wait to be rid of them. He soon realized that he had made the right decision because just a few hours after he drained their joint account, he learned something rather interesting. In fact, his former girlfriend had tried to write herself a check from the money in their “joint account,” and wanted to set herself up for the single life. Thankfully, godzilla_moon got there just in time.
Losing Some Money
Losing Some Money
Despite the fact that godzilla_moon rescinded his offer to pay for the wedding after the whole debacle, he did still lose a bit of money. After all, he had already paid for certain aspects of the wedding, and the checks had been cashed. He was able to get refunds for a few items, but the wedding venue they booked refused to give him a refund of the full amount. Because of this, he lost around $1,500. However, he would have lost a lot more if he hadn’t put his foot down and stood up for himself.
Furious Responses
Furious Responses
Reddits were furious to read what the man went through. One woman wrote, “As a woman, and as a mother, it shames me to see women acting like this towards someone like you. It is women like this that give the rest of us a bad name and label many as ‘gold diggers.’ I don’t know if it is the culture, background, or upbringing, but I can surely say that it is your right to do what you did, and should NEVER feel bad about it!”
What Would You Do?
What Would You Do?
“You handled that beautifully,” user breeskyv wrote to godzilla_moon on Reddit. “I’m a young woman with both a real dad and stepdad in my life that I love very much. I’ve often wondered which would walk me down the aisle. My two dads hate each other so I worry about offending the other. Would you have felt better if she asked the both of you to walk her down the aisle? As in one dad on each arm?”
Different Story
Different Story
So how did godzilla_moon respond? “Your situation is probably different than ours,” he told her. “If real dad has contributed time and money to raising you throughout your life, has shared in alleviating the anguish that is bringing up a teenage girl rather than contributing to it, then you should be fine. Ask them both to meet you, ask them to do it as a favor to you. No man could refuse that.” Many Redditors agreed with him on this, while others found issue with how he handled himself.
Not Innocent
Not Innocent
Although godzilla_moon tries to paint himself as the protagonist of the story, many who commented found some major faults with how he portrayed his handling of the situation. “Something’s not sitting right with me. Can’t help it,” said one Redditor before explaining why. “The people I’ve known where their parents saw them as parasites were situations where the parents allowed them to be parasites, and controlled and manipulated them with money. I honestly don’t think he’s innocent in any of it.”
Disrespect Or Overreaction?
Disrespect Or Overreaction?
This same sentiment was expressed by others as well. Although how the women acted was terrible, another Redditor said that godzilla_moon shouldn’t be lauded, either. “Yeah, I’m kind of feeling what you’re saying,” came an assenting voice. “Incredible disrespect from his side of the story, but an overreaction if the subject of him being excluded hadn’t been talked about before.” Indeed, people began discussing whether or not this was an overreaction, breaking with the “Reddit tsunami of ‘yay for OP,'” which is an acronym that stands for “original poster.”
All For Respect
All For Respect
“This isn’t the hero we need or deserve,” the Redditor continued. “This isn’t a victory for the little guy. This is an angry and self-centered man, making a spectacle to ease his hurt pride.” As for how the girlfriend and the daughter handled themselves, they were terrible, he said. “I sympathize with that. I get it. What I don’t get is how you can expect a position of honor that is based on love when it’s painfully obvious that you wanted it for ‘respect.'”
Child Abandonment?
Child Abandonment?
Some Redditors were much harsher in their responses. “You ABANDONED your kid,” one Redditor wrote to godzilla_moon. “I can see you walking out on paying for the wedding. Even being mad. I can see you raising a stink. But as you said, you cut both of them out of your life forever. Let me make this clear: you cut the child YOU raised out of your life FOREVER. You said you want to be treated like a ‘real father?’ REAL FATHERS DON’T CUT THEIR DAUGHTERS OUT OF THEIR LIFE.”
“You’re Disgusting”
“You’re Disgusting”
The Redditor then asked godzilla_moon, “What makes you any better than her natural father? You’re disgusting.” Suddenly, Godzilla_moon had people come to his rescue, with someone using handle SRSLovesGawker stating that men deal with “a lot of nonsense,” yet also “require very little in return, but those things we require are absolute. Those things are respect, consideration, and appreciation.” As he didn’t receive this, he was right to cut them off. “No…they cut him out,” another Redditor disagreed. “He finally decided to go along with it.”
Is It Real?
Is It Real?
While it was assumed that the story was real, there were some things that suggested that it may have been a made up story. For one, godzilla_moon is a username connected to just a handful of posts, all of them related to this viral story. Furthermore, these were all messaged in a very short amount of time. He didn’t respond to many questions and seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. It’s possible that this was to protect the step father’s privacy, but there could be another explanation…
Inconclusive
Inconclusive
Some have pointed out that this sudden disappearance could indicate a fabrication. In fact, the question of whether this is real or not was investigated by Snopes a couple of years after the story first broke. The report pointed out that none of the main players in the story had any real development or change, instead of remaining single-dimensional. Furthermore, Snopes said it relied “heavily on deeply entrenched stereotypes of shiftless women and the meal-ticket men they routinely drain dry.” Despite this, nothing is conclusive, so it’s up to you to decide.
